Technical Field
The present principles relate to surgical clips. More particularly, it relates ligation clips having no sharp edges, rounded protrusions and a particular implementation of the protrusions and surrounding surfaces that provide for easy, atraumatic removal of the clip from a vessel after use.
Related Art
A wide number of surgical procedures employ surgical clips (i.e., ligation clips). Such surgical procedures may require vessels, organs or other tissues of the human body to be ligated. Surgical clips ligate, clamp, close off or otherwise occlude the engaged portion of the clamped vessels, organs or other tissues in a surgical site. Such clips may also be used to secure the ends of a suture, as in place of a conventional suture knot.
Ligation can be performed with a ligating clip (i.e., a surgical clip) or by suturing with surgical thread. Suturing requires complex manipulations of the needle and suture material to form the knots required to secure the vessel. Such complex manipulations are time-consuming and difficult to perform, particularly in endoscopic surgical procedures, which are characterized by limited space and visibility. By contrast, ligating clips are relatively easy and quick to apply. So long as the clips and applicator are designed with endoscopic procedures in mind, they are a preferred choice.
The clips are often in the form of thin, narrow, metal or polymeric U-shaped or V-shaped members that are placed over the vessel, tissue or suture material and then forced into a closed position using a clip applicator. Clips constructed of metal, may be initially open and then permanently deformed into a closed or clamped configuration around the desired blood vessel or other tissue structure using an appropriate clip applicator.
The clips of the prior art suffer from various drawbacks. One example of such drawbacks includes a full mesh of opposing teeth or clip protrusions. When the clip is closed on a vessel, a full mess of opposing teeth or clip protrusions not only can puncture or damage the vessel upon application to the vessel, but they also cannot be removed by sliding the closed clip off the vessel (due to the complete mesh design), and often require a separate removal tool or process.
Another example of a drawback of the clips of the prior art is the sharp edges included anywhere on the same. As is appreciated by those of skill in the art, a sharp edge or corner between surfaces of the clip itself can be a cause of other tissue damage surrounding the vessel, and/or the vessel itself either while it is being applied, or after application to the vessel.
The present principles are directed to providing an improved ligation clip that overcomes the above-noted problems and solving one or more of the needs as set forth above.